Victory At Any Cost
by twentyfivefireflies
Summary: Frozen AU (kinda). SciFi/Post Apocalyptic setting. In the future, a race called The Unknown have decimated most of the world and humanity before vanishing. Twenty years later, the nations of Arendelle, DunBroch, Southern Isles, Corona, and others fight each other for the land's remaining resources. Elsanna - not related, no incest. Rated M so the usual warnings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Oh, hi there! This is my first fanfic so go easy on the newbie! This is obviously Elsanna but Anna and Elsa are not related, so no incest. The setting is a post apocalyptic 'fairy tale' world, where in the future a race called the Unknown have destroyed most of the planet and humanity, and the nations are fighting each other for the remaining resources. It's rated M for graphic violence, battle scenes, language, and sexual content. So...the usual reasons. I love scifi and fantasy and post-apoc settings so I thought throwing them all together would be fun. Don't worry, I've actually got a plot all planned out. I hope you like it and feel free to leave reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own any of these lovely Disney characters. That's all Disney!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

_Shit._

Anna limped as fast as she could and hid behind a partially collapsed wall, dragging her injured leg.

_This can't be happening. _

She got on her knees and leaned back against the wall. Taking a deep breath, she reached for her pistol and tried to stay calm. "Okay…you can do this. You can do this," she muttered under her breath. She looked down at her right leg, where the fabric of her pants was slowly getting soaked with blood. She could see a long, deep gash from where the laser had seared through the flesh.

Gritting her teeth and trying to block out the pain, Anna cautiously turned around and peered over the edge of the wall. There was some rebar blocking her view but she could see over a small hill of rubble that Hans's men were still pursuing her.

_Fuck._

Why did she ever agree to lead this mission? True, it had been more her idea than Kristoff's but leading ten of the best operatives she had ever worked with to their deaths – unceremonious, bloody, tragic deaths – was not what she had in mind. But the chance at getting back some territory from Hans, territory they could use to build up their forces to prepare for the return of the Unknown was too good to pass up. Her brother knew this, which is why he even considered letting her go.

_And now you're next and you'll never get to yell at Kristoff for letting you go on this mission. Or see __Arendelle_ _again. Or your friends. Or…meet anyone special. _

BLAM. The bullet narrowly missed her and broke off a small chunk of the top of the wall. Anna yelled out in fear and surprise. She took a moment to peer over the wall and saw one of Hans's men rushing toward her. In a flash, Anna made sure her gun was loaded and turned back and fired at the soldier. Her aim was good and a round pierced his armor and tore through his chest. He fell to the ground and twitched a bit before he lay still.

_Fuck fuck fuck. _Anna heard shouting and knew there were more soldiers coming for her. She looked around. There was no way she'd be able to run for it without getting killed. She reached at her belt and felt for the single last grenade that she had.

_If I go down, at least I can take some of these bastards with me._

She took another deep breath, terrified of what she was about to do. She grabbed the grenade and started to pull the pin…

BOOM. A massive explosion went off just meters away from Anna, throwing her to the ground and launching the grenade with the pin still intact from her hand. She tried to scream but if she did, she couldn't hear herself after being temporarily deafened from the explosion. The battlefield sounded muffled and strange. Her leg burned and this time she did scream from the pain. She tried to grasp for her gun as her vision blurred. The air suddenly became frigid and Anna shivered.

She tried to push herself up but found she was too weak (or injured) to move anymore. Panic crept over her and her fight or flight instincts began to wane and her body felt as though it was shutting down.

Suddenly, she felt strong arms wrapping under and around her and lifting her up. She tried to squirm but a muffled voice stopped her.

"You're safe now, Anna. We're getting you out of here," the voice said. It was clearly female and something about the voice compelled Anna, even in her delirious state, to relax her body and close her eyes.

Darkness took over.

* * *

A sharp pain woke Anna with a start. She groaned and opened her eyes to find she was in a hospital room. The room looked worn and old but it was intact, unlike many of the buildings in Arendelle after the invasion. Most of the country had been decimated along with the rest of the world when the Unknown came. They had arrived suddenly and violently from the sky, wiping out most of civilization with weapons far more advanced than anything Arendelle or its neighbors had seen. But that was over twenty years ago. These days the nations fought each other for land, food, and clean water. The Unknown had destroyed most of the earth and then had taken off into the sky again. No one had heard or seen them in over two decades and most people lived in constant fear that they would return again.

Anna looked down at the source of the pain – her leg. It had been cleaned and bandaged, as had most of her superficial cuts.

_I'm not dead. _The survivor's guilt began to set in.

_I _should _be dead. Why aren't I dead? Wh-_

"She's awake!" Her brother, Kristoff, stood in the doorway, his expression a mix of worry and relief. He ran into the room and threw his arms around Anna, who winced in pain but awkwardly returned the embrace.

"Gods, I thought I lost you," he murmured into her shoulder. When he finally pulled away, Anna could see that his eyes were bloodshot, which meant he had either been crying or that he hadn't slept at all. Or both.

"What happened?" she asked.

Kristoff pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down. He sighed. "We had no idea about the ambush, Anna. If we had-,"

"We _fucked_ up, Kristoff. Those men and women are dead because of me," Anna said shakily, trying not to cry.

"There was no way we could have known that Hans would be so prepared!" her brother exclaimed. "He's been silent for months and his army's been lazy about their fortifications. It was a risk, Anna, and we accepted it. But it's not your fault."

"But-," Anna began to protest when she heard someone clearing their throat. Her and Kristoff looked to the doorway and saw a pale, blonde girl standing there. Anna concluded that she must have been out in the field as the girl was still wearing her armor and camouflage. She also concluded that the girl had the most stunning blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Sorry," the girl said quietly. "I just wanted to come by to see how she was doing."

Kristoff stood up and led the girl into the room. "Of course," he said. "Anna, this is Elsa. She's the one that saved you."

"Well, my team and I," Elsa corrected him with a small smile. She turned to Anna. "It's good to see that you're awake and recovering."

Anna hesitated for a moment before attempting a small grateful smile. "Thanks. And…thanks for saving me. Seriously."

Elsa nodded. "Your brother sent out a mass transmission to the rest of the Arendelle militia when he lost contact with you. My team was on a mission up here and picked it up and, well, I wasn't just going to let you die out there." She turned to Kristoff. "My team and I are at your service. If it's all right with you, I think we will stay here for a bit before returning to the south."

"Sounds great," Kristoff said.

"The south?" Anna asked.

Elsa turned back to the redhead and smiled. _Wow, she's got a nice smile. _Anna's injury made it difficult to focus but this wasn't helping either. "Yes, my team and I are part of a resistance in the south. We mostly defend Arendelle's southern coast from DunBroch," the blonde explained.

"Ah, got it. That's…good." Anna replied. _Nice. Very eloquent. _There was an awkward silence between the three of them.

"Well, I should talk to intel and see what our next step is," Kristoff announced. He took Anna's hand and squeezed it briefly. "I'll be back later, Anna. You get some rest, okay?"

"I'll try. Thanks," Anna said. With that, Kristoff nodded a goodbye to Elsa and left, leaving the two girls alone. After a few seconds of silence, Anna spoke first.

"That was a pretty impressive explosion," she said with a grin. "Knocked me right off my feet."

Elsa looked surprised for a moment and then laughed quietly. "Oh! Um, sorry about that."

Anna shook her head. "Don't be. If you hadn't set off that explosion, I'd be dead."

"Well then I'm glad the hovercar came with missiles," Elsa replied and Anna let out a laugh.

_This is nice. Awkward conversation about death and projectiles._ She suddenly felt very sleepy and let out a yawn.

Elsa noticed and said, "You should probably get some more rest."

Anna shrugged. "Probably. I've never been very good at being bedridden though. Expect multiple escape attempts once my leg heals a bit more."

Elsa smiled. "Well then I shall just have to make a few rounds in case I have to take you back to bed." Realizing how that might have come out, the blonde blushed and tried to correct herself. "I mean…so you don't escape, because you need rest…"

Anna actually giggled at Elsa's shyness but made sure to inwardly curse herself for coming off like an immature schoolgirl. _What's next? You going to snort, too?_

"Well, I should get going. Is it all right if I visit you later, Anna?" Elsa asked.

Anna nodded. "I'd like that."

Elsa smiled again and left the room. Once the blonde was gone, Anna let out a sigh and the feeling of remorse and guilt crept in again. She was alive. Alive to fight another day. How much longer would this continue?

_What the hell are we even fighting for anymore?_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"_Waiting for your orders ma'am."_

"_For the last time, Erik, call me Anna."_

"_As you wish, Anna ma'am."_

_Anna was crouched low next to a building. The street nearby was mostly rubble but it made for good hiding places for her team. She reloaded her assault rifle and gave the signal for her team to move. They quickly moved ahead as silently as possible. _

"_Here," Anna ordered. The operatives stopped and hid next to a destroyed school. Anna looked around. Something wasn't right. _

"_Where is he?" she wondered aloud as she scanned her surroundings for the operative from another militia that was supposed to meet them there._

"_Kristoff said the guy would meet us right here," she said._

"_These streets aren't completely secure, ma'am," Erik said. The other operatives looked nervous._

_Anna paced back and forth. Something was definitely wrong and she felt vulnerable, exposed. They weren't safe here._

_She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach when she heard the barely audible click of an explosive._

"_MOVE!" she screamed. The impact threw her against the concrete wall. Once she regained her focus, Anna scrambled to her feet and began firing orders as she looked for her rifle. Realizing it wasn't near her, she grabbed her pistol and took cover. She nearly vomited when she saw the armless torso on the ground near her cover. The body was badly burned but she could make out the uniform of an Arendelle militiaman. This was one of her men._

"_No…" she whispered. She looked ahead and felt even more nauseous as she saw the array of body parts that were scattered across the broken, burning pavement. Chaos took over as the sound of gunfire and machinery filled the air. _

_Realizing that all of her men were dead, she decided her cover would not be safe for long. _I have to call for help. _ She reached for the communicator on her belt and pushed down on the button. _

"_Blue leader to base! Blue leader to base! We've been ambushed in sector 14 and need backup now! Repeat, we've been ambushed and need backup! This is Anna!" she shouted. No one replied. The ground was blasted a few feet away._

"_Fuck!" she screamed. She held onto her pistol tightly and took a deep breath before taking off for the next available cover._

_TSEW. A flash of light temporarily blinded Anna and she suddenly felt white-hot pain in her leg. She yelled out and rolled on the ground as bullets hailed down overhead…_

"NO!" Anna awoke with a shout. She looked around, panting, and began to calm down once she realized she was still in the hospital room. It was mostly dark with the exception of the light from the hallway creeping in.

_Fucking shit. Another dream. _The reality of everything that had happened only a week before took over again and she began to cry, her body shaking with each sob. So much death, so much fear, and for what? A future that she'd probably never live to see?

She was startled when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked up and was surprised to see Elsa, the one woman who had ensured that the redhead would live to fight another day. The blonde looked concerned and sad.

"Anna, are you all right? I heard you shout," she asked gently. When she saw Anna's tearstained face, she immediately understood and cautiously wrapped her arms around the shaking girl. Anna didn't care about boundaries at that point; she sunk into the embrace and didn't hold back with her tears. She did briefly note how cold Elsa's hands felt on her back. The chill she had felt on the battlefield came back to Anna as she remembered how odd that was.

_Am I all right? No, not really. I watched my entire team get blown to bits because I led them straight into an ambush. My leg hurts like a bitch and I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing with my life anymore._

"I had a nightmare. I'm okay though," she said, pulling away from Elsa, who wasn't the least bit convinced.

"'Okay'? Sorry, but I don't buy that. You've been through hell and back, Anna. Your brother is worried about you and so am I," she said and put her hand on Anna's arm.

Anna wiped her eyes and shook her head. "You just met me."

"Yes, but I also saved you from that horrible situation and it's my duty to make sure that you recover," Elsa stated firmly.

Anna let out a cynical laugh. "Hah. I don't think one can ever really recover from something like this."

Elsa bit her lip and without thinking, took Anna's hand in hers. "Well, as long as I'm here, I would like to help you try, Anna."

Anna looked away. She didn't want to talk about this anymore, especially with someone she had just met a few days ago. _But she _did _save my life. And she's pretty. And she has a nice smile. And cold hands. _

"Please, Anna?"

Anna sighed and without thinking, gave Elsa's hand a squeeze. "Okay. But only 'cause you said 'please'".

Elsa smirked and shook her head. "How is your leg? You think you can stand on it?"

Anna considered. "I think so. It stings a bit still but it's feeling much better than it was the other day."

Elsa smiled. "Would you…like to take a walk with me?" she asked hopefully. "Maybe clear your head a bit?"

For the first time in over a week, Anna grinned with genuine happiness. She was tired of being bedridden where the nightmares could get her. "That would be great, Elsa," she answered.

After a few minutes of what felt like physical torture to Anna, the two of them were finally able to get her out of bed without messing up her bandages. Elsa offered her arm and they walked slowly out of the room, down the hallway and into the hospital courtyard. It was late, or very early – Anna couldn't tell. She could see the stars though. It wasn't often that she got to see them since most of the time the sky was coated with smoke.

"It's a nice night," she said. "When I was little I used to go outside at night and look at the stars for hours. When they were out of course. I would try to convince Kristoff to watch them with me but he'd always say no."

"How come?" Elsa asked. They sat down on an old, worn down bench.

Anna shrugged. "He figured that the stars brought nothing but misery and destruction, that they were dangerous. So why would he spend time admiring them?"

"I admit, there is a certain beauty about them. But I can see what he means," Elsa said.

"Dangerous things can be beautiful, too," Anna pointed out. She noticed that Elsa flinched a little at this.

"Sorry, did I say something wrong?" the redhead asked.

Elsa shook her head. "N-no. I'm…I'm fine, Anna." She smiled to prove her point.

"Hm, okay," Anna said, convinced for the moment. "So, do you have any family back home waiting for you?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, it's just me. My team is pretty much my family."

"Oh," Anna said, getting the hint that Elsa didn't want to go into detail. She wasn't surprised though. Most people she knew had lost their families either during the invasion or a battle with another nation.

"What about you?" Elsa asked.

"Just Kristoff," Anna said. "I never really knew my parents. They were in the resistance when the wars first started. Kristoff and I were raised by the soldiers here."

"You're very lucky to have your brother at your side," Elsa said.

Anna shrugged. "Yeah, we're pretty close and honestly I don't think I would have survived this long if it weren't for him."

Elsa smiled and put her hand on Anna's shoulder. "I'm glad he's around then otherwise I wouldn't have gotten to meet you."

Anna tried hard not to blush but she felt heat creeping up her neck anyway. _The hell? Why am I getting shy around this girl? Sure she saved my life but I barely know her. _She'd never been in a relationship and the war had kept her from pursuing anyone. She did find that she had an attraction towards women but had never acted on it. Surviving always came first.

"Heh, thanks. That means a lot coming from you," Anna said. _Nice going, you sound like an idiot._

This time it was Elsa's turn to blush. "Well, for the record, I think you're extremely brave and courageous for holding on like you did. And for not wanting to go down without a fight," she said knowingly.

Anna bit her lip. "Uh, so I take it you saw the-,"

"Grenade, yes," Elsa finished. "That couldn't have been easy to do, Anna." She took her hand again.

Anna shifted nervously. She really didn't want to talk about her near suicide. "I don't know…I didn't want Hans's men to have the final word. At least this way I would have made a small difference. I owed my team that much." She looked at the ground sadly.

Silence.

"How did you hear me?" Anna suddenly asked.

"What?"

"When I woke up from my nightmare. How did you hear me?"

Elsa looked a little embarrassed. "Uh, well I've sort of been staying in the hospital ward. Down the hall from where you are actually."

"Really?" Anna wasn't sure what else to say. _She's just been living in the hospital for a week?_

"Yes. I wanted to make sure you didn't have any problems recovering. I think it helped Kristoff, too. He's been spending a lot of time at headquarters planning the next steps for you guys."

"Oh," Anna said, trying to hide her nervousness and slight disbelief. _This beautiful, kind girl that saved my life and who I am now holding hands with has been watching over me all week and all I can say is "Oh". Good job._

"Well," Elsa said as she released Anna's hand and stood up. "We should probably get you back to bed. I imagine at some point you want to be able to sleep in your own bed and you can't do that if you're not completely healed."

"Yeah, um…good point!" Anna stuttered and stood up a little too fast. Her leg burned and gave out for a moment. Anna lost her balance and fell forward.

"Whoa!" she cried before Elsa caught her by the arms. Their faces only inches apart, they both pulled back and laughed nervously.

"Hehe, thanks. I'm incapable of standing up on my own apparently. Clearly I need someone following me around to catch me when I try to do basic tasks," Anna rambled.

"Don't worry. I'm here to help with that," Elsa said playfully, making Anna turn red. The blonde offered her arm again and they made their way back into the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for the lovely reviews and follows/favs. Chapter 3 is up and I hope to update very often as I'm pretty excited about this story. To answer someone's question from the reviews, yes Elsa does have powers in this. I've tried to put a slightly different spin on them so I hope that comes out okay. Thanks for reading, and again feel free to leave comments. UPDATE: the site is being weird about updating so I reuploaded the chapter.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

"The base will have guards posted here, here, and here. Beta Team can take out whatever resistance we find at the entrance while Alpha Team moves in and infiltrates the inner halls."

Three teams of operatives sat on bleachers in one of Oaken Base's large meeting halls. They were listening intently as Kristoff presented the latest plan to take back Sector 14, a key area that would give Arendelle back a large amount of its water filtering systems. Despite the war torn appearance of Oaken Base, the Arendelle resistance was actually quite technologically advanced. With computers that allowed them to plan and present every mission, the best training, weapons, gunships, and airships available, they were a formidable force.

They were not however, the most massive army. Arendelle was never very heavily populated and had lost most of their numbers when the Unknown had arrived. The Southern Isles on the other hand, had a much larger army and were very effective in combat, even if their technology was not as advanced.

"What about my team?" Elsa asked.

Kristoff pressed the button on the remote to trigger the next set of animations on his screen. "Gamma Team will follow and provide cover fire for Alpha Team. Once we move in, we can seize control and take out their comms."

The operatives began to talk amongst themselves before one of them spoke up. "Sir, with all due respect, is this intel good? Last time our guys ended up in an ambush."

Kristoff nodded. "I understand the concern but yes. We've been working on this for a few weeks now and I think it's our best chance to take back that filtration system. Now, Elsa will be leading Gamma Team. Anders will be leading Beta team, and I-,"

"_I'll_ lead Alpha Team." The group turned towards the hall entrance where Anna was walking in. She did not seem to walk with a limp and had a look of brash determination on her face.

Kristoff stared at her. "Anna, no. Someone needs to stay here and manage the mission comms."

Anna smirked. "Which is what _you're _good at. Kristoff, I got this." She leaned in and spoke quietly so that the others couldn't hear. "I got this. Please. It's my mission and I need to see it finished."

"I…I don't want you getting hurt again," Kristoff admitted.

Anna pointed at her leg. "I'm fine, see? Walking and jumping again just fine. Also, I know the layout of that sector better than anyone, and you know it." She held his gaze, daring him to object. "Come on," she said with a smile. "We knew when we started doing this that there was always the chance-,"

Kristoff finally sighed. "I know, I know. Fine," he gave in. "But no crazy heroics. Just go in, secure the base, and get the hell out of there."

Anna grinned and jumped up and down a bit. "Thank you thank you!"

"Yeah, whatever. Go sit down so I can finish this," Kristoff huffed.

Anna practically bounced over to the bleachers, where many of her fellow operatives greeted her warmly and clapped her on the back. She took a seat next to Elsa, who smiled softly at the redhead.

"I've never seen anyone so happy about doing something like this," she noted quietly while Kristoff continued the briefing.

Anna shrugged. "I owe it to my team and myself to finish this, Elsa. We can help a lot of people if we succeed." She reached into her pocket. "Chocolate?" she offered a small bar.

Elsa laughed quietly and accepted. "Sure. I love chocolate. I'm surprised you were able to get any."

Anna bit into the bar. "Oh, well," she said between chews, "There's an intel specialist that knows how to make it. I usually eat some before every mission. Speaking of which, thanks for volunteering your team for this. I don't think we could do this without you guys."

Elsa nodded as she finished her chocolate. "We want to make a difference and I think this is the best way we can do that right now."

_She has really nice lips. And nice arms. Shut up, Anna, you're about to go on a mission. Try _not _to make it a one way mission this time. _Anna shook her head and realized that Elsa had asked her something.

"Sorry?" she blurted. _Awesome way to show that you can lead a team. Can't even focus on one person. Though she _is _nice to focus on._

"I said if you like, you can use this frequency to talk to me. I know you said you're fine but it can't be easy to get back out there so soon. Here, I'll set it for you." Elsa grabbed Anna's communicator and set up the new frequency. "Just hit your secondary button to talk on it."

"Wow…thanks," Anna said gratefully.

"Anytime," the blonde replied. _That fucking smile again. At least we're wearing helmets in the field._

"Any questions?" Kristoff asked. When no one answered, he nodded and said, "Okay, suit up! We're moving!"

* * *

"Alpha Team move up. Beta Team, what's your status?"

"Beta Team coming in from your three, ma'am. Moving now," Anders's voice came in on the communicator.

_Shit. Please don't fuck this up. Please._ Anna pushed down on her communicator again.

"Gamma Team, status?"

"Right behind you. Ready to move on your order, ma'am," she heard Elsa say. She pushed down on the secondary button.

"You don't have to call me ma'am, you know," she said.

"Habit. How are you holding up?" Elsa asked.

"I'm all right. I think the chocolate made me jittery though," the redhead admitted.

"You're doing fine." Something about hearing Elsa's voice, even on comms, made Anna more relaxed and able to focus on the mission. _Probably because you think she's hot. _

_Shut _up. _And stop talking to yourself!_

With her assault rifle in hand she moved forward, taking cover behind the remnants of destroyed walls. Her team followed closely behind her. She finally stopped and crouched behind some rubble. The base, a pre-war filtration building that was falling apart, was directly ahead. They hadn't met any resistance yet but as Anna knew all too well, that could change in an instant.

"Beta Leader here," Anders's voice broke the silence. "Ma'am, we don't have a visual of any guards at the entrance."

"What do you mean you don't have a visual?" Anna demanded.

"There's no one there ma'am."

_The fuck? _Anna peered over the rubble and saw that indeed, there were no guards at the entrance. Or anywhere for that matter.

"Beta Team move in. See if they went around the sides of the building," she ordered. "Oaken, this is Alpha Leader. No sign of resistance yet. Or anyone."

"Copy that, Alpha Leader. Proceed as normal," she heard Kristoff say.

Anna inhaled deeply before giving orders to her team. "You heard the man, Alpha Team. Move in. Gamma Team, take our 6."

"Roger that, ma'am," Elsa replied.

With Beta Team standing guard, Alpha and Gamma moved into the building, their weapons at the ready. Anna stopped by the front doors, which had shattered windows, and peered in. When she saw nothing, she signaled her teammate to open the door so that she could enter first.

She was greeted by a long, dark, empty corridor. The power seemed to be out but there were some emergency lights that flickered on the walls.

"Right, so this is creepy," she muttered.

"See anything, ma'am?" Anders asked.

"The power's out and the place seems empty. And don't call me ma'am," Anna said.

"Noted, Anna, ma'am."

Anna grinned behind her helmet and crept down the hallway. "Oaken, we're at the end of the hallway. Going to proceed into the control room."

Static.

"Repeat, we're proceeding into the control room. Do you copy?" she tried again. _Oh, gods. Not again._

More static.

"Damn it. Can anyone hail Oaken?" she asked her team, trying to conceal the panic in her voice.

Suddenly, she heard Kristoff voice break through the static. "A-a-nna? Do y- read m-m-e?"

"Something's interfering with our comms," Elsa said.

"We'll figure it out later. Let's go," Anna ordered. "Oaken, our comms seem to be getting some interference. We're moving into the control room. We'll try to get you back in a few." She stopped at the end of the hallway and slowly looked into the adjacent room.

The air suddenly became very thin.

"What the hell?" she gasped. Her team shuffled into the room, followed by Elsa's team, who, even behind their helmets, appeared just as stunned as Anna did.

Bodies littered the control room – on the floor and on the computers. The monitors were streaked with blood.

"What happened here?" Elsa breathed.

"Someone got here first," Anna said darkly. "Beta Team, we're in the control room. We found the guards but…they're all dead."

Static.

"Beta Team, do you copy?" she tried again.

"We just had them. How could something interfere that short of a distance?" Elsa asked.

"Something must have happened to them," one of Gamma's operatives said.

"Don't say that – Anders knows what he's doing," Anna snapped. "It's probably something Hans's men have set up in here to block out enemy comms." She knew it didn't make sense, but the growing panic was having an effect on her rationale.

"Anna listen to yourself. Why would Hans want to block out enemy comms? He'd _want _to spy on you," Elsa countered. "Something's not right here."

_Just like last time._

"Ma'am, I found a distress signal that Hans's men were sending out," one of her operatives who had been investigating the computer said. "I've got part of the recording."

"Let's hear it," Anna said as she tightened her grip on her rifle. _This is bad._

"Yes ma'am." The operative nodded and played the recording.

"This is Squad 8. We've lost all comms with base and have lost all primary power," a man sounding panicked spoke. "We need immediate assistance and extraction. Repeat, we need…what the-HELP! AARGHH-," The recording ended abruptly. An eerie silence took over the room.

"T-that's all there was, ma'am," the operative said shakily.

_This is very bad._ "We're leaving," Anna stated. "Download that recording and let's get the hell out of here," she ordered. She turned to get ready to leave when a low, rumbling sound silenced them.

"Did you hear that?" Elsa said quietly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna thought she saw movement in the back of the control room, where another hallway led out of the room and into the rest of the base. She took a step forward and raised her assault rifle. The teams followed suit.

The rumbling stopped. Anna could only hear the sound of her own breathing. She slowly reached out and turned on the flashlight at the end of her rifle.

The creature in front of her took a step forward and stood up. At its full height, it was at least seven feet tall. Its skin appeared to be made from a combination of hard insect-like shelling and metallic looking plating. Parts of it seemed almost transparent, almost ghostlike. It had an array of small horns on its head and rows upon rows of serrated teeth. It was the most terrifying thing Anna had even seen.

She moved her rifle to the left only to realize that there were at least ten of these creatures in the room with them. Her blood turned to ice and she suddenly found it very hard to breathe.

"GO!" she screamed to the teams and began firing at the creatures. The one in front of her let out a deafening roar as the bullets bounced harmlessly off it. With a swipe of its plated arm, it crashed into Anna and sent her flying across the room. She slammed into some computer monitors and rolled onto the floor. She looked up and saw that her rifle was still within reach. She grabbed it and started shooting at the creatures, who were now pursuing her teammates. One of them shot a translucent, almost liquid-like projectile from its arm that hit most of Gamma Team. The operatives froze and began screaming in pain as the material ate through their armor, clothing, and finally their skin.

"NO!" Anna screamed and kept shooting, knowing that it was for naught as these creatures seemed to be immune to their weapons. The "leader" of the creatures looked at Anna and appeared to grin, showing its hundreds of teeth. It took two steps towards her and raised its arm, preparing to fire at her.

The air went frigid and Anna was thrown back again by a force that seemed alien, but familiar somehow. Elsa jumped in front of her, her arms outstretched, and something almost like…ice shot from her hands.

_What the fuck?_

The blast of ice hit the creature, who screamed and fell backwards. The other creatures stared in surprise but began to back away as Elsa created a wall of ice separating her and Anna from their attackers.

"We need to go, Anna!" she yelled. Anna wasted no time asking questions. She grabbed her weapon and stood up.

"Follow me!" Elsa ordered and led Anna out of the room but not before sealing it with another ice wall so that the creatures could not follow them, for the moment anyway. They ran as fast as they could down the hallway and out of the base, where the last surviving members of Alpha and Gamma were waiting with Beta Team.

"Anna! You're okay! What happened? We saw a ship come down from the sky and-," Anders exclaimed as he ran towards Anna.

"We need to get back to Oaken." Anna finally found her voice. "Now."

Anders nodded and signaled his team to head back to base. A gunship was waiting for them at the edge of the sector. Anna climbed in, trying to fight back tears as she heard the clamoring of the teams.

"What the fuck was that?!" one of the surviving Alpha team members asked.

"Did you see what it did?! Did you see?!" the last Gamma team member shouted.

_Of course I fucking saw it. _She didn't want to talk to anyone. Not after that.

"Let's just head back to base. We'll discuss everything when we get back. Right now we need to make it back in one piece," Elsa said, trying to help. She looked over at Anna, who had gone silent. She hit her secondary comms button.

"You in there, Anna?" she asked softly.

Anna paused before answering. "Yeah, I'm here. What was that, Elsa? How did you do that?"

Elsa looked down. "We'll talk about it when we're back. But Anna, those things. They-,"

"I know. They're back."

_The Unknown are back._

* * *

A knock on the door startled Anna. She was sitting on her bed in her living quarters tending to the multiple bruises she had received during the fight. Nothing as serious as when she injured her leg, but enough to sting a bit.

"Come in," she said. The door slid open and Elsa walked in.

"Kristoff said you'd probably be here. I hope I'm not disturbing you," the blonde said. She looked nervous and fidgeted with her hands when she spoke.

"It's fine. Have a seat." Anna patted the bed. Elsa smiled gratefully and sat down next to the redhead, who put away her medical supplies in a nearby dresser drawer.

"I-," Elsa started.

"I'm sorry about your team, Elsa," Anna said guiltily. "I didn't know them well but it was an honor fighting alongside them. They were some of the best operatives I've ever worked with."

Elsa looked down. "I…thank you. They will be missed. I don't think anyone could have foreseen the mission going that way."

Anna sighed. "No, I don't think so either."

Silence.

"You're probably still wondering about-," Elsa began.

"The ice thing? Yeah, just a bit," Anna finished and smiled faintly.

Elsa bit her lip. "It's…something I've had since I was born. The weapons those creatures use…I can do something similar. My parents thought it was a result of some contaminated water from when the Unknown destroyed everything but we were never sure."

"Well, whatever it was, it saved us. That's twice now that you've saved my life," Anna said and put her hand on Elsa's leg.

Elsa felt her face flush with heat and shrugged. "Well, we can't have our leader dying now, can we?"

"Seriously, Elsa. Thank you," Anna said solemnly. She leaned in and pressed her lips on Elsa's cheek. "I owe you." She pulled back, surprised at her own courage.

_Great job, Anna. Now she's going to think you're a total creeper._

Elsa stiffened and felt the heat creeping up again. "I…ah- you're welcome. But really, you don't owe me. Just…don't die. I have a feeling we'll need you especially after what's happened."

Anna nodded. "The Unknown." She pondered for a moment. "That's such a stupid name. We should call them Gross Creepy Alien Creatures, since that's what they are."

Elsa laughed. _Wow, I love her laugh. It sounds like music._

"Yes, that's probably a more accurate description of them," Elsa said with a smiled. She suddenly grew serious. "Anna, if those things are back…last time-," she didn't finish.

"We'll figure it out, Elsa," Anna said, even though she didn't much believe it herself. She looked at her alarm clock. "It's getting late. Kristoff wants to do this giant debriefing tomorrow and I need at least 4 hours of sleep to be able to deal with him."

Elsa nodded. "I'll see you in the morning then, Anna." She turned to leave the room.

"Hey Elsa?"

"Yes?"

Anna stood up and crossed the room. She wrapped her arms around the blonde, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you again," the redhead murmured. "It's…nice to have a friend in all this. Even if we're pretty much guaranteed to die any day now."

_Wow, she smells nice for someone that runs around shooting things all day._

Elsa smiled and gently returned the embrace. "I'm glad we're friends, Anna." Finally, they pulled away from each other and Elsa made another attempt to leave the room. "I'll see you in the morning," she said. Anna gave a small wave as the blonde left. She went back to her bed and collapsed on it.

_Fuck. What am I doing?_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4 is up! Yay. There seemed to be some issues with this site's updating stuff. It wouldn't say when the story was last updated, just when it was published. Hopefully that's fixed now. **

**Now we get to see Anna and Elsa's relationship develop a bit. See you on the other side and as always, feedback always helps!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

Kristoff sighed. They had been at it for over six hours and were no closer to a plan of action than they had been when they first started the meeting. And now everyone was arguing.

"We can go south. Grab some land from DunBroch and hide underground until they leave again," one operative who had been on Alpha Team suggested.

"Leave? Are you mad?" Anders exclaimed. "I'm not leaving. I say we grab the airship and go after them."

"Yeah, that's cute, Anders. Did you want your funeral before you leave or after?" the first operative, Stephan retorted.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "What about Hans? Have we heard anything in his comms?" he asked.

Their top intel specialist, Kai, shook his head. "Nothing yet, sir. In fact we haven't picked up much of his comms since the mission."

Kristoff buried his face in his hands, clearly frustrated. "We need a plan of action that makes sense." He looked over at Stephan and Anders. "Preferably one that _isn't_ suicidal and ineffective." At this, the two operatives began to argue loudly, bringing the meeting into chaos once again.

At the end of the long table sat Anna and Elsa, flanked by some of the surviving operatives from the last mission. Anna looked bored and was playing with her utility knife and Elsa looked pensive, though Anna couldn't tell if she was really engaged in the meeting or something else.

The arguing was gradually getting louder and eventually turned into shouting. Finally, Anders stood up.

"It doesn't matter anyway! Our weapons are useless against them. Tell them, Anna!" he said angrily. Everyone turned to Anna, who froze.

"Uh…" she slowly put her utility knife down. "Yeah." She looked at Kristoff. "I was only a few feet away from the thing, Kristoff. Nothing. The bullets just bounced off."

"And then the bastard took out Gamma Team like they were nothing!" Stephan yelled. Anna saw Elsa shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"Hey!" the redhead protested. "Have some respect!"

Kristoff stood up. "He's right, Anna. They're far more advanced. You guys didn't stand a chance against them. Maybe…" he fidgeted nervously. "Maybe we should consider evacuating."

"What? No!" Anna cried. "We can't just _give up._"

"They're too powerful, Anna. We don't have the technol-," Kristoff tried.

"Elsa does!" Anna blurted out and stood up. All eyes now focused on Elsa, who now looked even more uncomfortable.

"I was there," Anna continued. "She saved me. The Unknown backed off when they saw her."

"Anna…" Elsa said tiredly and tried to take Anna's arm but the redhead pulled away in protest.

"No, Elsa! You stopped them. You have to help us!" she pleaded.

Kristoff sighed. "Anna, Elsa's just one person, and while her powers may be helpful there are _thousands_ of those things out there right now. Probably more. No offense, Elsa, but we can't just put this all on you."

Elsa shook her head. "None taken. Your brother's right, Anna. We need a plan that's a little more thought out."

Anna fumed where she was standing. _Fuck all of you. I'm not leaving. I'm not a coward._

"I'm done with you people for tonight," she said in a surprisingly calm voice as she abruptly turned and walked away.

"Anna!" Elsa called after her.

"Don't bother," Kristoff said as he sat down. "I know my sister. She's extremely stubborn and hates it when the answer isn't cut and dry." Elsa sighed and sat down again.

"Now," Kristoff said, "how much do we actually know about these things, Kai? Other than the fact that they don't like Elsa's ice power."

Kai used the keyboard near him to bring up some satellite images on a computer screen. "Not much, sir. We think they communicate through a hive mind and somehow report to a larger entity. Not certain on that, though. Most of our information comes from whatever has been gathered over the past few days since the mission and anything remaining from the original invasion."

"Well, I think the first thing we need to figure out is how we can hurt them. We can't just throw Elsa at them," Kristoff stated. "Any suggestions?"

No one spoke.

Kristoff shook his head sadly. "All right, let's sleep on it. We'll meet back here tomorrow at 0800. Dismissed." The operatives began clearing the table and Elsa decided to go find Anna.

* * *

Elsa hovered outside Anna's bedroom door. She wasn't sure why she was so drawn to the redhead but she did know that it broke her heart to see the younger girl upset. She carries so much on her shoulders, she thought, it's not fair to her. She was impressed at Anna's resilience and strength to continue fighting. Not many could still be sane after what the girl had gone through.

Elsa hesitated before knocking on the door. No answer. She tried again.

"Go away," Anna's voice sounded though it was muffled.

"Anna, it's me. Elsa."

"Oh. Um, hang on." Elsa heard padded footsteps and a few seconds later the door opened and she was staring down at Anna, whose eyes were red and puffy.

"Did you need something?" the redhead asked shakily.

"No, that is-," Elsa stammered, "I just came by to see if you were all right."

"I'm fine, Elsa," Anna said, sounding annoyed. "Did you guys come up with a plan that was more 'realistic'? Or should I start packing my bags?" she asked, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Anna, all your brother and I were trying to say is that we needed a plan that was a little more detailed. I _want_ to help – I really do. But I'm just one person. No one else has my power. At least not that I know of," Elsa explained.

Anna stared at the blonde blankly for a moment before her face lit up. "That's it!" she finally exclaimed.

"What? What's it?" Elsa was confused now.

Anna's blue eyes were shining now. "You're a genius, Elsa!" She threw her arms around the stunned blonde and kissed her on the cheek.

"I, ah…would you mind telling me why?" Elsa had a hard time focusing on anything with Anna holding onto her. She found herself sinking into the embrace and realized it was quite comfortable…

"We have to talk to Olaf. Come _on_!" Anna released the embrace much to Elsa's silent protest and grabbed her hand, dragging her down the hallway.

"What? Who's Olaf?!" Elsa could barely keep up with the practically skipping Anna.

The hallway opened up and they arrived at what looked like a lab to Elsa. There were a few people that appeared to be working on experiments of some sort but Elsa couldn't tell what kind.

"Anna!" a skinny man with messy dark hair and glasses that were slightly too big for his face ran up to the girls.

"Hi Olaf! This is my friend Elsa," Anna gestured to the blonde who smiled shyly.

"Hi Elsa!" the scientist exclaimed.

"Olaf, I need your help. I need a modification on my pistol," Anna said.

"Sure, Anna! What kind?" Olaf asked eagerly.

Anna turned to Elsa. "Show Olaf what you can do, Elsa."

Elsa looked surprised. "Really? Here?"

Anna nodded. "Yeah. It's okay, Elsa."

Elsa took a deep breath and held out her arm. She looked to be in deep concentration for a moment before the air started getting colder. Anna looked at Elsa's hand and saw the fractals of ice forming over it.

"Still fucking cool," the redhead remarked.

Elsa chuckled as she watched Anna and Olaf's eyes widen in awe at her display of powers.

"Olaf," Anna said once she had focused again, "I need _that_," she pointed at the ice, "in _this_." she handed the man her pistol.

Olaf took the gun and pursed his lips in thought before nodding eagerly. "Yes…yes! I think this can be done. I'll need Elsa to provide me with a few samples but I _think_ we can replicate her abilities. At least on a smaller, less powerful scale."

"Anything that can help us fight the Unknown would be great at this point," Anna said. She was practically bouncing with excitement. _We might actually have a chance!_

"I'll get right to work on this," Olaf said. "Elsa, would you mind coming with me for that sample? Shouldn't take very long."

Elsa nodded. "Of course, Olaf."

"I'm going to go tell Kristoff. I'll see you guys later!" Anna said and sprinted out of the lab.

* * *

"Anna? Can I come in?" Elsa stood in the open doorway of Anna's room once again.

Anna was sitting at her desk reading notes from Kai's latest intel find. She grinned when she saw her friend. "Sure! I think at this point you've visited me so many times that you don't have to ask anymore."

Elsa shrugged. "Still, I'd rather be polite and respect your space."

"Eh, screw space. I like having you around," Anna said. _Smooth, Anna. You going to knock her out and drag her back to your cave next?_

_Maybe back to my bed._

_Shut _up!

"So, how'd it go?" the redhead finally asked.

Elsa sat down on the bed. "Pretty well, I think. Olaf says he can have the modification ready within a few days. The rounds won't be as effective as my powers, but they won't be bouncing off those creatures anymore either. Did you tell Kristoff?"

Anna nodded. "Yeah. He seemed pretty happy but I think he wants a field test. Of course, that would require us to go back out there and find one of those nasty bastards."

Elsa's smile faded into solemnness. "That was a brilliant idea you had, Anna."

Anna got up from the chair and sat down next to Elsa. "Without you we wouldn't even have this chance, Elsa. So, thanks again! I think that's three times now! I totally owe you."

Elsa laughed. "Will my payment be another kiss this time?" The words escaped her mouth before she had time to think. She instantly froze and blushed deeply. Idiot, she scolded herself.

"Hah! Sure! I mean, if you want." Anna leaned in to give Elsa a kiss on the cheek again. Elsa snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face the redhead, not realizing Anna was going to kiss her cheek. Anna's lips pressed against the corner of Elsa's mouth. Warmth spread throughout Elsa's body and she wasn't sure if it was instinct or a decision she made consciously but she shifted so that she was kissing Anna square on the mouth, moving her lips against the redhead's.

Anna was still in a stunned state to do much.

_Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. She's kissing you. Like _really _kissing you! What should I do? Um…_

_Kiss her back you idiot._

Anna gathered up what courage she had and put a shaky hand on the side of Elsa's face as she moved her lips and deepened the kiss. After a few minutes of just kissing, Anna felt Elsa's tongue gently probing her bottom lip. The redhead felt a chill go down her spine but also felt extreme warmth in her lower abdomen as she felt muscles she didn't know she had tighten there. She let out a soft moan and suddenly remembered that the door was still wide open. With a gasp, she pulled away from Elsa.

"I…I," she panted, "s-sorry."

Elsa drew back quickly. Her face was flushed and she was shaking a little. "N-no! _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have assumed you wanted me to do that."

Anna smiled. "Well," she said shyly, "here's the thing. I _did_ want you to do that. Just," she nodded towards the open doorway, "not really a fan of other people watching."

Elsa put her hand over her mouth and giggled. "Oops. I didn't even…I completely forgot about that."

_Oh gods, she's adorable when she's embarrassed. _"Don't worry about it," Anna said and grinned. "I can um…go close it if you like."

Elsa took a deep breath. "I would like that," she began, "but as much as I hate saying this, I should probably get some sleep if we're going to meet with Kristoff and the others in the morning."

Anna nodded and tried to hide her disappointment. _Might want to rethink your priorities. Of course the impending doom we all face from this new invasion trumps any kissy time activities. But Elsa's a good kisser. _

_A _really _good kisser._

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then?" Elsa asked hopefully. The pair walked to the door.

"Yeah!" Anna said a little too eagerly. _Nice, now she thinks you're desperate._ "I mean uh…yes. Tomorrow."

Elsa smiled and gave Anna a small peck on the lips, making the redhead blush furiously. "Goodnight," Elsa said.

"'Night!" Anna squeaked. She watched Elsa walk down to the hallway to her own living quarters before closing the door and leaning back on it.

"Heh," she giggled as she slid down against the door and to the floor. "That was awesome."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter 5 is here. More mission-y stuff and a little bit of background on Anna and Elsa! Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

Anna was startled from her sleep by her brother shaking her.

"Anna. Anna, wake up!" Kristoff whispered but there was urgency in his voice.

Anna groaned and tried to swat him away with her hand. "Go away - I'm sleeping."

"Anna, this is more important than beauty sleep." He pulled the pillow from under her head, snapping her out of her half-sleep state.

"Hey!" she cried. Her hair had been reduced to a large red poof. "What the fuck, Kristoff?!"

"Get dressed," he said, looking amused at her hair. "Everyone's meeting in the main hall."

Anna glared at him as she sat up. "Why? What's going on that can't wait until morning?" she demanded as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"We picked up some strange signals in Sector 14."

"What? Sector 14? Kristoff, that place has to be swarming with Unknown. We've been picking up strange signals there for a month now!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, but until now we didn't know that the signals were actually energy signatures," he said, sounding almost excited.

"And?"

Kristoff grinned. "Annnd…they all lead to one massive energy signature. Underground. And when that signature changes, so do the rest. They're all connected, Anna. They _are_ a hive mind, just like we thought. Just like Mom and Dad thought."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "Mom and Dad?"

Kristoff nodded. "I've been going through their old research from the invasion. It seems like they were really close to figuring this all out, Anna. I think they were trying to get ready. They knew the Unknown would return. I don't know how but I think they knew."

Anna shook her head in disbelief. "But why here? And why now?"

Kristoff shrugged. "I don't know. But I looked through old records and there was a lot of activity in this region. That's all I've found anyway." He looked at his watch. "I gotta go, Anna. Get dressed and meet us in the main hall, okay?"

Anna sighed. "Fine. Be there in a few."

* * *

Two hours and three cups of coffee later, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and the other top operatives were once again sitting around the conference table listening intently as Kristoff presented all the intel they had gathered on the Unknown. When he finished, everyone was silent for a few seconds until Stephan raised his hand.

"This is all great, but what does any of this shit mean for us?" he asked.

Anna tried to hide a smile. Stephan was never afraid to speak his mind. She had practically grown up with the man and saw him as family.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "If these signatures are all connected, then maybe there's a weakness we can exploit. I think it's worth investigating."

"Another mission? No offense, Kristoff, but the last one ended with half of us being obliterated," Anders protested. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Um…I understand," Kristoff finally spoke, "and there's no pressure on any of you to accept this mission. But we've got two opportunities here that I don't think we should pass up."

"Two?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah. One being that we can find out more about these things before they well, kill us all." That got an uncomfortable laugh from just about everyone. "And the other is testing out our new weapon mods. Elsa and Olaf really came through for us on that one."

Everyone looked at Elsa, who smiled shyly, her face reddening a bit.

"Why are they back now? Those ugly creatures destroyed pretty much everything the last time around," Stephen said.

"We don't know," Kristoff admitted. "But I'd rather try and find out before they finish us off."

"What if the new mods don't work?" another operative asked. "We've never tested them."

"It's a risk, yes," Kristoff agreed. Other operatives began asking questions and before long there was a full blown argument in the room.

Anna, who had been sitting quietly the entire time, glanced at Elsa and caught her eye. The girls stared at each other for a moment, both of them understanding what needed to happen. _I hope I don't regret this._ The redhead stood up.

"I say we do it," she said loudly. The others were suddenly silent and stared at her. Anna felt very awkward until she looked at Elsa, who smiled encouragingly and nodded. Anna beamed at the blonde and continued.

"There are pockets of Sector 14 that we can go to test out the mods. If they work, we proceed with the mission. If not, we do a full abort and figure something else out." She spoke with authority and decisiveness and noticed that she was getting nods of approval from everyone in the room. Kristoff looked on with a smirk but Anna could see that he was proud of her.

"I'll lead a small infiltration team," she said. She walked over to the large screen where a top-down grid-based map of Sector 14 was displayed. She pointed to a grid square in the upper right hand corner. "We should be able to find a few creatures here. If our mods fail, Elsa can distract them temporarily so we can retreat. But if they work, we just follow the signal strength. We can sneak in and figure out what the hell they're doing." She turned back to the operatives. "Sound good?"

The room echoed with murmurs of approval from the operatives and Anna let out a sigh of relief.

"Great," Kristoff said. "Tomorrow, 0600. Be ready to go. Dismissed."

* * *

Anna sat on her bed. A small box lay next to her. The redhead had been looking through pictures for a while, most of the afternoon probably. A voice in the open doorway startled her.

"Hey."

Anna looked up from the pictures and saw Elsa standing there. Her heart swelled. "Hi!" she said a little too eagerly.

"I was just…I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Elsa said quickly. She leaned with one hand on the doorframe. "I can always come back later."

Anna shook her head. "No no! Please, come in! Sit down," she insisted. Elsa looked relieved and made her way to the bed. She sat next to Anna. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just looking through old pictures," Anna said. She handed a few to Elsa. The blonde flipped through them and saw most of the pictures were of Anna and Kristoff when they were younger. She got to one that had a young couple sitting on a bench, staring lovingly at each other. The colors were bright and they were in a beautiful garden. Everything in the photo seemed so vibrant and peaceful. "Are these your parents?"

Anna looked at the photo Elsa was referring to. "Yeah. That was taken before the Unknown came. Like a couple years before, I think. They were really young."

Elsa smiled. "They look very happy." She handed the pictures back to Anna, who put them in the box and slide the box underneath her bed.

"Did you know your parents well?" Anna asked. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine. But no. Not as well as I would have liked anyway," Elsa said sadly. "They died when I was twelve years old. I stayed at a shelter until I was old enough to join the resistance."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"I haven't seen you for a few weeks," Anna said hesitantly. "Well, not since we…you know."

"Kissed?" Elsa admitted. She felt guilty for avoiding the redhead ever since that night. But she did not want to overstep her boundaries. Anna had been through a lot and was emotionally vulnerable. Elsa didn't want to take advantage of that, regardless of what her own feelings were.

"Did I do something wrong? Or something to make you upset?" Anna asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

"Of course not," Elsa exclaimed. "I just…" she was struggling to find the words.

"What, Elsa?" Anna pressed. _That night she was practically all over me and now she's shutting me out. What the fuck did I do?_

"I just don't want you getting hurt, Anna," Elsa tried to stay calm but it was difficult. "You…a lot of stuff has happened with you recently and I don't want to push you into doing anything you don't think you're ready to do yet."

Anna raised an eyebrow at the blonde but was also amused. _Seriously? The girl's had most of her squad blown up and is stuck in the middle of a potential invasion with a team she barely knows because of me and she's worried about _my_ mental state? _ "I'm not a fragile doll, Elsa. I've been fighting for practically my whole life and I've seen shit go down. What happened in Sector 14 sucked ass but you move on. You have to or…" she looked down. "I'm fine, okay? Also," she added, "I…really like you. And I want to spend more time with you. I think it would help us both…deal." She nervously took the blonde girl's hand. Elsa did not pull away.

"I like you too, Anna," she said softly. "And I'm sorry for avoiding you. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing."

_She's so nice. Also, her hands are really soft. What the hell did I do to deserve this? _Anna squeezed her friend's hand. "I know. But we'll be okay. We've got each other, and Kristoff, and all those gross alien things."

Elsa snickered. "Yes, we can't forget the gross alien things." She grew serious. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to take things…slow. This is all very new to me."

"Same," Anna agreed and extended her arms to offer a hug to Elsa. The blonde gladly accepted and they wrapped their arms around each other, holding the embrace for a few minutes until Anna pulled away finally. She stood up and Elsa did the same, taking the redhead's hand again.

"Come on," Anna said. "Let's see if they left any food for us in the mess hall."

* * *

"Alpha Team, this is Oaken. You're cleared to move. Repeat, you are cleared to move."

"Copy that, Oaken. Alpha Team, with me. Move!" Anna led her team quickly through blasted streets of Sector 14. Elsa and Stephen were right behind her, followed by 5 other operatives. Anders had opted to stay at the base and help Kristoff with directing and comms or in case Anna's team needed a quick extraction.

It was a hazy spring morning. The sun had risen less than an hour earlier, and the combination of dust and early morning light painted the sky in vivid hues of blue, red, and yellow. There had been no sightings of Unknown yet, but Anna wasn't taking any chances as she kept her team on alert.

The operatives would take cover behind collapsed buildings and walls often, then spend a few seconds checking their surroundings until Anna gave the all clear to move forward.

_I hope the mods work. They _have _to work or else we're all fucked._

"Picking up something straight ahead, ma'am," Stephen said.

"Unknown?" Anna asked.

"No, it might be them," Stephen answered.

Anna chuckled. "No, Stephen, I meant is the thing ahead an Unknown?"

Stephen laughed. "Hehe, yeah sorry."

"We really should consider calling them something different," Elsa said.

"I'm fine with 'ugly assbrains' for now until you guys come up with something more technical," Anna stated. She heard some of the other operatives laugh quietly.

"Sounds good, ma'am," Stephen said. "Signal appears to be coming from over that hill there." He gestured towards a massive pile of debris up ahead.

"Copy that. This way," Anna said and began to climb the hill, her team following her closely. She quickly reached the top and took cover behind a slab of concrete. She looked at Elsa and nodded. The blonde peered over the concrete while Anna watched for enemies.

"There!" Elsa whispered. "Over by those pillars." She pointed to a destroyed parking structure straight ahead. In broad daylight, three Unknown were rummaging through the ruins of the structure.

"What are they looking for?" Stephen asked.

"Hell if I know. Do you see any others?" Anna said, turning to Elsa. The blonde lifted her rifle and looked into the scope. "No, ma'am. I think it's just those three."

"She says that like three are easy to take down. Just one of those bastards could kill us all," Stephen huffed.

"Hey, if these mods work, it might just be that easy," Anna said. She hit her secondary comms, which was still tuned to Elsa's radio.

"I thought I said not to call me ma'am," she said quietly.

"Seriously, it's a habit," Elsa said, and Anna could tell from the sound of her voice that the blonde was smiling.

"Want me to take the shot ma'am?" Stephen asked.

"I'll do it," Anna offered. "If things go to shit, abort and have Anders bring the gunship as fast as he can."

"Roger that, ma'am."

Anna peered over the concrete slab and readied her rifle. She was close enough that if her aim was good, she could hit one of the creatures in the head. She looked into the scope and took aim.

"Be ready. I'll try not to send us all to an early grave," she muttered.

"You got this, Anna," Elsa surprised the redhead by saying this on the primary comms.

Anna relaxed her body and waited for what seemed like an eternity to her teammates. Finally, she exhaled, paused, and pulled the trigger. The rounds burst from the firing chamber and shot through the air towards the creatures, slightly glittering from their translucent properties. A series of satisfying crunches sounded as the bullets pierced the creature's skull and began a chemical reaction. The crunches gave way to sizzling and the creature screamed an unnatural howl that stung Anna's ears.

The creature crumpled to the ground.

_It fucking worked!_

"Fire at will!" she yelled. Alpha Team charged down the hill, pummeling the creatures with a rain of bullets. Within a few moments, the battle was over and the operatives stood over the Unknown, stunned at what had just happened.

"It worked!" Elsa panted.

"Fuck yeah!" Stephen yelled. "We killed the shit out of those bastards! Woo!"

Anna grinned. Their first real victory over these things. Had anyone taken one of these things down before? Were they the first?

"Oaken, this is Alpha Leader. The mods are a go. Three Unknown are down," she spoke into her radio.

Kristoff's spoke, though Anna could hear Anders cheering in the background. "Copy that, Alpha Leader. Well done. Enemy energy signature is about 2000 meters southwest from your position."

"Copy that, Oaken. Permission to proceed with second objective?" Anna asked, hoping that their luck wouldn't run out.

"Permission granted. Keep up comms, Alpha Team. Be careful, Anna. Oaken out."

Anna reloaded her assault rifle and turned to her team. "You heard the man. Grab some samples of those things' armor, skin, or whatever. We move in five."

* * *

"Oaken, this is Alpha Leader. We've arrived at signal origin. Awaiting orders."

"You're a go, Alpha Team. Comms seem a bit fuzzy. Possibility of comms loss is high. Be careful in there."

"We will. Alpha Leader out," Anna said, desperately hoping that it wouldn't be the last time she spoke to her brother.

The operatives were huddled near a large pile of debris. Not far from their position was what appeared to be an old factory. There was no sign of Unknown anywhere. Anna suspected they were all inside the factory or underground.

"Intel thinks these things are hiding underground. We don't know what kind of infrastructure they have set up inside, or even what kind of surveillance. We're kind of just hoping that they don't expect us to be able to reach their bases," Anna explained. She took a deep breath. _I need to be honest with them._

"I can't guarantee we'll get out of here alive, guys," she said solemnly. "No one would think any less of you if you wanted to head back to base." No one said anything. Finally Elsa stepped forward.

"I'm with you, Anna," she said and reloaded her rifle. Stephen nodded and the other operatives did the same.

"Good. Follow my lead," Anna ordered and they began their infiltration of the alien base.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, the team met no resistance once inside the base. The hallways were dimly lit, just like the water filtration building had been. They had completely lost comms with Oaken already, and Anna was worried that even with their new weapons that this mission might be her last.

"Signal's getting stronger, ma'am. My scanners are all jammed," Stephen grumbled.

"Same," Elsa whispered. "We must be getting close."

"Acknowledged. Be ready," Anna replied. She could see a faint, pulsing blue light up ahead. "There," she whispered. "Stay close and keep quiet. They may have heard us already." She crept towards the light, realizing it wasn't as faint as she had originally though. They stopped by the doorway and waited for Anna's signal before moving into the next room. She moved forward hiding behind a low wall, and they followed…

"Holy shit," Stephen and Anna gasped in unison.

"What _is_ that?!" Elsa hissed.

The other operatives looked on in awe at what was ahead of them…and above them.

The room was closer to a massive auditorium, completely packed with Unknown. The creatures appeared to be fused to the floor, which was covered in tubes leading from the outer edges of the room to the center, where a giant dome emitted a pulsing blue light throughout the room. The dome was transparent and the light appeared to be originating from a plasma-like fluid inside the dome. A large glass cylinder sat on the top of the dome, pumping plasma from the top of the dome to the roof above.

"What are they doing?" Elsa wondered.

"No fucking clue. It looks like they're…consuming something," Anna guessed.

"Surprised they haven't noticed us yet," Stephen observed.

"No," Anna said, "it looks like when they're connected to those tubes they aren't quite as alert." She shook her head. "We need to go before they _do_ notice us though. Stephen, did you take the readings?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's not a lot and most of it doesn't make sense but maybe Olaf and the guys at the lab can figure it out," Stephen replied.

"Good. Move out," the redhead ordered.

* * *

The ride on the gunship back to base was uneventful and quiet. Anna looked out the window at the ruins of Arendelle. She wondered what their discovery would do for the resistance. For the survivors of Arendelle, who took shelter in the outer regions of the country where there wasn't as much fighting. Would it make a difference?

_Maybe this time it will. Or…maybe we'll all get fried by these things._

"That was pretty intense." Elsa's voice came through on Anna's secondary comms. She hit the button to reply.

"Yeah, it was. I wish we knew what the hell they were doing."

"Look on the bright side. The mission was a success and we didn't lose anyone this time," Elsa reminded her.

Anna nodded. "True." She felt guilty for being all doom and gloom. "Sorry, sometimes it's easy to focus on the bad and forget the good parts."

"It's fine. That's why I'm here."

Anna smiled behind her helmet. "I'm really glad you were," she said softly. "I don't think we could do this without you. Well, I couldn't at least."

_Nice. Be clingy, Anna. Girls love that. Idiot._

"I'm happy to help," Elsa replied. She didn't seem uncomfortable at the redhead's words.

Anna grinned and leaned back into her seat for the remainder of the ride.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: New chapter up! It's a short one but I think it's pretty important to the overall story. Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

_Anna felt heat all around her. She dared to open her eyes and immediately regretted doing so. Flames surrounded her – the sparks occasionally nipping at her feet. Panicked, she spun around, looking for an exit. She found a small opening in the flames that looked passable. She shielded her face and rushed through the opening just as the flames closed in on her._

_Now she was in an open field, surrounded by tall grass, _actual grass. _The sky was a perfect blue, as least to her. No ash at all. There was no sign of buildings, of civilization. All the redhead could hear was the sound of the grass swaying, some birds even. She had seen videos of places like this but they no longer existed in Arendelle, at least that's what she thought. It was wonderful and Anna wanted to stay here forever._

"_We can't though," a voice from behind said. That _perfect_ voice. Anna turned around and found herself face to face with Elsa. The blonde was dressed in civilian clothing – a fitted shirt and pants - something Anna had never actually seen Elsa in. The clothing complimented the blonde's subtle curves, making Anna appreciate Elsa's body even more._

"_Why not?" she asked. "We can stay here and just be fucking done with everything." She crossed her arms in annoyance. "No more fighting, no more Unknown, no more death, Elsa." She took a few steps forward to close the distance between herself and the blonde. "I thought that's what you wanted." She took Elsa's hands in hers and held them tightly. The blonde bit her lip and looked down._

"_It is," she said and Anna could hear hints of guilt in her voice. "I just want us to take this slow. For your sake."_

"_Elsa, I'm _fine_. I…I want this," Anna pleaded. She leaned in and began kissing Elsa's neck softly, leaving a trail of kisses from the base of her neck to her earlobe. Encouraged by Elsa's soft moans, she wrapped her arms around the blonde. Anna melted when she finally felt Elsa's lips moving against hers. This was what she wanted. _

No. I want more.

_She no longer cared about the fighting, the misery, or the Unknown. All Anna knew was that she wanted Elsa. She began to kiss the blonde more aggressively, softly biting Elsa's lip and slipping her tongue inside Elsa's mouth. In the midst of this, the two somehow ended up on the ground in the impossibly soft grass, with Anna on top._

"_I want _you_, Anna," Elsa said, her voice low and full of desire. With incredible strength and agility, she flipped them over so that she was on top. Anna gasped when the blonde ran her hands over the redhead's breasts and planted kisses on her neck. She could hardly believe what Elsa was doing to her. What she was making her feel. Her senses were suddenly heightened and her breath hitched as Elsa thrust her tongue into the redhead's mouth and moved a hand down Anna's torso and closer to her core. Her muscles tightened. They had barely begun and already she was close…_

_The moment was shattered when she saw Elsa's expression darken and her eyes stare straight ahead._

"_Elsa? What is it?" she asked and got up slowly._

_The sky had darkened and the sun was blotted out by the ash storm that had set in. They were now surrounded by collapsed buildings and piles of debris that seemed to reach the sky. And then Anna saw them._

_The Unknown._

_There were clusters of them, all moving in chaos with no formation whatsoever. Yet they seemed to have more purpose than anything Anna had seen. They were destroying everyone in their path. Legions of soldiers ran at them, only to be torn apart by the aliens' brute strength or their deadly weapons. Anna recognized many of the soldiers. They were her teammates. Her friends._

_She heard children screaming. They were afraid, or in pain. Or both. She reached for her gun but realized she had forgotten it. She saw Kristoff rushing one of the Unknown. _

"_NO!" she screamed but her brother did not seem to hear her. She tried to run to him. To save him. But she was frozen. _

_The creature killed him with a single swipe of its arm._

"_KRISTOFF!" Anna wailed. She dropped to her knees in agony and sobbed. It was over and soon she would be gone, too. She felt a hand on her shoulder._

"_It's not over, Anna. This is a beginning. Stop _them_. End _them_," Elsa said._

"_How?!" Anna yelled. "You see this? We have no fucking chance, Elsa!"_

"You_ have to stop it, Anna. Weren't they connected?"_

_Anna tried to concentrate but the roaring of the storm and the screams of innocents made it difficult to focus. _It's all connected though. It has to be.

Someone must have known this. Someone from before.

_The storm ceased. The screaming stopped. The battlefield was empty and the fires were gone. Elsa was gone. Anna was alone again. She had no one. No purpose. Not like the Unknown, who had come down from the sky so quickly and so forcefully. They had the army, the power, the energy domes that pointed up not down…_

The Unknown have purpose. Of course they do. They're a hive mind. They have nothing but purpose.

_The air was still and frigid. Anna swore she saw her own breath. _

A hive mind.

* * *

Anna's eyes snapped open as she awoke with a start. Breathing heavily, she threw the blankets off herself and wiped the sweat from her brow. _Fuck._

She pulled some pants over her boxer shorts and threw on a sweatshirt and bolted out of her room, her destination: the control room. She finally arrived and let herself in. The room was mostly empty save one operative who manned the computer in case of an enemy attack. He was leaning back in his chair looking half-asleep.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" he asked groggily.

"Yeah, um…" she had to think for a moment about what she wanted to ask. "I need…a way to see stuff at high altitudes. Can our radar do that?"

The man stared at her, confused. "Uh, high altitudes? We've got a pretty wide range so if it's airships you're trying to see-,"

"No! Higher. Like something in space," Anna interrupted.

"Space?" he asked incredulously. "We just have the old satellites up there, ma'am. They haven't been functional in decades though."

Anna tapped her foot impatiently. _Why did you ever think having some epiphany from a stupid dream would actually work and solve all of your problems?_

_Well, it _was_ kinda hot._

"Well," she said, her voice wavering in pitch as her mind revisited the part of her dream with Elsa in it. _Wow. _"Is it possible for you to reconnect with one of them?"

"Might I inquire as to what you're looking for up there, ma'am? With all due respect, we haven't had much activity since the Unknown destroyed everything," the man said.

Anna nodded. Was her idea so crazy? And even if it wasn't, was there anything they could do about it?

"I think," she said slowly, "that something might be up there."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Chapter 7 is here! Thanks again for your fantastic feedback. Reviews are always encouraging and definitely push me to update more often. Hope you all like this one.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

Anna sat at the end of the table in a small meeting room with Anders, Stephan, and a few other operatives around her. "Okay," she said, "So, based on the data from the old satellites and anything else I was able to get from Kai, we're pretty sure that there's something massive just orbiting the earth up there."

Some of the operatives looked surprised while others exchanged worried glances. Anders raised his eyebrows and spoke up. "Ma'am, what do you think it could be?"

Anna shrugged. "I don't know. But seeing as how the Unknown are back I've got a feeling it could very well be related to that."

"It's probably a fucking mothership," Stephan muttered. "So…what do we do about it?"

"Yeah, it's not like we can just shoot at it," Anders pointed out.

"No, but I think it's worth investigating more," Anna said. "The Unknown are back and we're at a huge disadvantage."

"We can kill them. We know that much," Stephan countered.

"Well sure, but what good is killed a few of them if they have a massive army that they could wipe us all out with?" Anna argued. "We need to find a weak spot, something we can exploit. I think this," she pointed to the blurry satellite image on the table in front of her, "is the key to doing that."

"What do you suggest we do, Anna?" Anders asked.

Anna grinned. Finally, they could take the fight to those alien bastards. "So I think we could-,"

"What the hell is going on here?" Kristoff had barged into the room flanked by two operatives. He looked at Anna, confused for a moment before running his hand through his shaggy blonde hair and sighing. "Anna, what are you doing? First Frank tells me you had him hack into the old satellites to 'see something'," he said using air quotes, "and then Kai says that you were fishing around for the old records from the invasion."

Anna looked at her brother guiltily. "Sorry, Kristoff," she said. "I was going to wait until we had a solid plan before bringing you into this."

"Wait? Anna, since when don't we tell each other this kind of stuff?" He looked at the operatives sitting at the table in an awkward silence. "You guys are dismissed," he told them. They all promptly stood up and left. Kristoff nodded for his accompanying operatives to leave, too. He sat down next to Anna.

"What's going on, Anna?" he asked. His frustration had faded and he looked genuinely concerned.

Anna sighed. "I don't know. I'm just so fucking sick of waiting around and I'm tired of being on the defensive."

"Running off and keeping stuff from me and planning an all-out assault on an alien race is not the best way to go on the offensive, Anna," he said.

"Oh, calm down." Anna rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning a fucking assault. I just wanted to see if we could find a weakness."

"You could have talked to me about it first," he argued.

"What are you, my babysitter?" the redhead retorted.

Kristoff was growing impatient with his sister. Why the hell did she have to be so stubborn? He had lost track of the number of times she had nearly been killed on a mission. While he had to admit that she was one of, if not the best, soldiers he had ever seen, she was still his little sister. "No, but if we plan to survive this we need to communicate."

"Kristoff, I am so fucking sick of surviving. I want to actually _live_ for once!" she said angrily. "Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted us to hide in some fucking hole while these aliens come and kill us one by one!" She stood up.

Now at his breaking point, Kristoff stood up as well. Surprised, Anna backed up a little.

"Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted us to die horrible, pointless deaths because we were reckless and idiotic!" Kristoff rarely raised his voice at Anna but now he was yelling. The room became uncomfortably silent. Suddenly they heard someone clear their throat.

"Ahem." Elsa was standing near the room's entrance, her blonde hair in its usual braid and her fair skin looking paler than usual. "Sorry, I always seem to interrupt at a bad time."

Kristoff sighed. "It's fine, Elsa," he mumbled. "What's up?"

Elsa shifted a little, feeling awkward, but tried to continue. "We've got a big problem. We're getting intel that Hans's army has seized Corona and the Eastern Territory."

Kristoff's eyes widened. "What?! How?"

Elsa shook her head. "Kai could tell you more than I can but I just came to deliver the message. Basically they've upgraded their comms tech which they block any of our receivers from picking them up. We don't know how but Kai and the rest of the intel team think it happened over the past few weeks."

"No wonder we haven't heard from them. We've been busy with the Unknown and trying to figure _them_ out," Anna breathed. Once again, she felt guilty. _And here I was fucking wasting time and whining like a bratty teenager._

"Fuck!" Kristoff shouted. "Everyone to the main hall. Now!"

* * *

"All right everyone, shut up!" Kristoff's voice drowned out everyone else's in the chaotic room. Anna, Elsa, and the other operatives all gathered on the bleachers. Most looked worried or concerned. Others looked terrified. Arendelle didn't have the numbers the Southern Isles did. They owed no allegiance to the other regions or kingdoms but the fact that this happened without them knowing was certainly a sign that things were going from bad to worse.

"As you all know, the Southern Isles have seized both the kingdom of Corona and the Eastern Territory. We no longer have the ability to spy on their comms so we're at a big disadvantage," Kristoff announced. "We still have the issue with the Unknown returning and we don't know if Hans knows as much about them as we do. We also don't know why or how he was able to seize so much territory so quickly."

"Sir," Anders spoke, "the king and queen of Corona haven't been seen for quite some time. Their army could be in a disarray so it was probably quite easy for Hans's men to walk right in."

"Good point," Kristoff said. "And the Eastern Territory?"

"Not sure, sir," Anders admitted. No one else spoke up either.

"What should we do?" Anna finally asked, not wanting to anger her brother again.

Kristoff shook his head. He didn't know. "We're not a large enough force to take back those regions," he said, "and even if we did, we're still technically at war with them."

"DunBroch is still free," Elsa said quietly. All eyes turned to her.

"And?" Kristoff asked impatiently.

"Well," Elsa said slowly, "I know of a small force there that isn't particularly sympathetic to these regional wars. Maybe they could help us."

"Who?" Anna asked.

"The king and queen," Elsa explained. "DunBroch doesn't have an organized army – they're mostly small groups that just fight each other. The royal family lives in hiding but I know where they are. They have a pretty decent sized militia. If we can get them to help us, maybe we can help the other regions."

Anna smiled. _She's so cute when she's got ideas that could change the course of a war._

"What are you suggesting, Elsa?" Kristoff asked. "We ally with DunBroch?"

"And free the other regions," Elsa said. "It's a perfect bargaining chip. We help free them and in return they join with us."

"So we can finally kick the shit out of that bastard Hans!" Stephan yelled.

"And we have more than, you know, ten people, to figure out how to stop the Unknown," Anna said quietly and met Kristoff's eyes, hoping he wouldn't go off on her again or say she was being reckless and stupid.

Kristoff nodded. "That's…the best plan I've heard in a while, Elsa," he said slowly. "I think…yeah…yeah I think this could actually work."

_Finally, we get to kick some actual ass. _Anna was thrilled and prepared to put up a fight to get put on this mission.

"How should we execute this, sir?" Anders asked.

"Yeah, DunBroch is kind of far and I don't think hovercars or gunships will give us that kind of range," Stephan added.

"Airship?" Anna asked.

"No, they're not in any shape to fly that far," Anders said.

"If I could cut in, sir," Kai said before Kristoff could answer. "We still have the prototype airship in the silo. It's locked down but we do have the access codes."

"That one?" Kristoff asked and scratched his head. "I haven't seen that thing since I was a kid. I didn't even know it worked."

"Your father made sure it was in excellent condition, sir," Kai explained. "If I understand the specifications correctly, it is capable of reaching very high speeds and its maneuvering capabilities are very good. The range should be satisfactory as well."

Kristoff thought for a moment. "Well, I mean we'd have to see who-,"

"_I'll go_!" Anna yelled and stood up. All eyes were now on her.

Elsa tilted her head, looking very concerned. "Anna?"

"I'll go," Anna repeated forcefully. She looked at Kristoff. "I can't stay behind on this one, Kristoff," she pleaded. "I belong out there with my team."

Elsa stood up as well, her expression solemn. "I will accompany Anna on this mission. I'll assist with any navigation. I'm quite familiar with the DunBroch region and I can help with any and all negotiations."

Anna beamed at the blonde. _She's got my back. Awesome. _"See Kristoff? We can do this!" she said excitedly.

Kristoff's expression went from one of frustration to sadness. Why can't I keep her safe, he thought. "Anna, you've never flown an airship," he tried.

"I've flown a gunship before," Anna argued. "And a hovercar!"

"It's not the same."

"_I've_ flown an airship, sir," Anders broke in. "Several in fact."

Kristoff was about to argue but didn't when he realized Anders was being truthful. The man had flown more than any of them. "So…what are you saying, Anders?"

Anders stood up. "I'll go with Anna and Elsa."

"So will I," Stephan announced. He winked at Anna. "Just in case she shoots and misses, sir."

Kristoff sighed. This was their best shot and he knew he couldn't hold back just for Anna's sake. "Very well," he said, trying to ignore Anna jumping up and down with glee. "I will select additional operatives to join you guys on this mission. You'll have your assignments by tonight. Be prepared to leave tomorrow at 0700. Dismissed."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know, I know I suck and it's been a while since I updated. Real life kicked my ass this past week but updates should be more frequent now. So...here's chapter 8! Fluffiness and smuttiness are in this chapter but since it's already rated M, you probably aren't surprised. Hope you like it!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

"See anything yet?"

"Nah. Just dust and clouds." Anna leaned on the railing as she looked down at the brown and grey clouds below. They had left Arendelle only a day earlier. The open top airship allowed them the advantage of being airborne and mostly invisible to enemy forces.

Elsa had walked over to stand next to the redhead after being shooed off the bridge by Anders, who insisted that he didn't need any help flying the airship and that he would notify her when they reached DunBroch so that she could help him navigate to the correct region.

"We should be there soon," Elsa stated. She leaned on the railing as well.

The airship was surprisingly quiet and without anyone talking the silence was almost uncomfortable for Anna. _Say something, dork._

"So…." she said nervously, "what do you think we'll find?"

Elsa shrugged. "If we're lucky, the king and queen will still be alive."

"And if we're unlucky?"

Elsa smiled faintly. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to come up with a plan B."

Anna grinned. "I'm sure that'll be easy for you since you came up with this plan."

Elsa turned to the redhead and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see how it is. _I'm _supposed to come up with the plans, is that it now?"

Anna laughed. _She's cute when she's annoyed. _ "Yep. Exactly."

Elsa shook her head. "And what's your role in all this?"

"Why, I'm the one that flies in like a big hero and blows shit up!" Anna replied. The blonde responded by laughing and holding her stomach. _Yes!_

"You're funny, Anna," Elsa said softly once she had calmed down.

"I try." _Gods, I'd love to kiss her right now. _"Humor keeps me sane, I think."

"Well for both our sakes, I hope you never stop being funny," Elsa said. She looked up. The sky, now painted in hues of orange and purple, was beginning to darken and it would be nightfall soon. "It's getting late. We should probably turn in soon. I suspect we'll be in DunBroch by early morning." She began to walk away from the railing.

"Wait!" Anna exclaimed. _Might as well ask. _"Could you-I mean, did you want to stay up with me for a bit longer? I don't really get to watch the sunset that often and it looks awesome from up here."

Elsa hesitated for a moment. Finally, she smiled and walked back to the railing. "That would be great, Anna."

The two of them stood next to each other looking out across the cloudscape and admiring the view. They were silent until Elsa turned to the redhead. "This is really nice. It would be great to see this all the time."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'd love to watch it every night but we've always had a curfew. I guess safety is a tad more important than watching pretty things."

Elsa took a deep breath and gently took the redhead's hand. Anna did not pull away. "No reason you can't have both. I feel safe…with you."

Anna could feel her heart pounding in her chest. _Shit. _ "Um…" she stammered and gave Elsa's hand a small squeeze. "You really shouldn't. My escapades lately have involved others or myself getting hurt."

"Not your fault, Anna," Elsa said firmly. Her bright blue eyes met Anna's. "You can't blame yourself for things that are out of your control. You know that."

"Do I?" Anna asked sadly. "I mean, what if I had been more careful? More aware? What-,"

"Anna." Elsa silenced the redhead by putting her finger on her lips. "You can spend the rest of your life wondering 'what if' and all it's going to do is tear you apart and make you miserable. Trust me, I know," she said quietly. "Or, you can learn from your experiences and move on, better and stronger." She removed her finger and gently placed her hand on Anna's waist, pulling the redhead closer to her.

"I guess…I could try," Anna mumbled. "It's not easy when everything is going to shit around us."

Elsa smirked. "Well, luckily for us, we have this brilliant plan that could very well change everything."

"Yeah. See, you're great at the idea thing!" Anna said. "You should be officially in charge of ideas."

Elsa smiled a bit mischievously. "In that case, I think I sense another idea forming."

"Yeah? What's that?" Anna asked, her mood visibly better now.

Elsa responded by letting go of Anna's hand and lightly holding the redhead at the waist with both hands. She pulled Anna towards her to close the distance between the two of them and kissed her. Anna, surprised by this, moaned softly before relaxing in Elsa's arms and wrapping her own arms around the blonde's neck.

They continued kissing as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon and the stars began to come out. Elsa stopped and pulled back slightly, though their foreheads were still touching. "S-sorry," she murmured. "I didn't know if you-,"

"If I wanted that?" Anna said with a smirk. "You know I did, Elsa. And for the record," she used her hand to softly caress the blonde's cheek, "I thought that was a good idea."

"Well," Elsa blushed a little, "I wasn't done carrying it out."

"Oh!" Anna said and laughed lightly. "By all means, carry on. That is, if you're sure."

Elsa bit her lip. "I'd love to but…" she looked around. "I would rather we _not_ put on a show for the rest of the team."

Anna giggled. "We seem to have a bad habit of doing this where anyone can just walk by and see."

"True. Perhaps you're secretly an exhibitionist?"

"You know I like to live on the wild side," Anna joked.

They laughed for a bit before Anna suddenly grew serious. She took Elsa's hand. "I uh…know of a place where we might have a little more privacy."

Elsa nodded. "Lead on."

* * *

Anna's quarters were slightly larger than the rest of the crew's seeing as how she was the leader of this mission, but they were still small compared to her bedroom on base. The room was attached to a small restroom and had a tiny desk and a locker. A full size bed took up most of the room.

Elsa closed the door behind her and locked it. She turned to Anna. "I don't want you to feel that you have to accommodate me, Anna. If you don't want this, we don't have to-," She was abruptly silenced when Anna pushed her against the door and began kissing her again. When their lips finally parted so that they could breathe, Anna tried to speak.

"We might be a little more comfortable on the bed," she said and took Elsa's hand, pulling the blonde towards the bed.

"Anna…" Elsa said quietly. The concern on her face was obvious and the redhead spotted it right away.

"I…I want this, Elsa," Anna said as they stopped right next to the bed. "With all the crazy messed up shit going on, you're the only thing that has really kept me going. I've…never done anything like this before," she looked down at the floor, "but I know I really care for you and I…I want to spend tonight with you."

Elsa looked as though she was about to protest, but understood what Anna was saying and nodded solemnly. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around the now shaking redhead. She leaned in and began kissing her passionately. Anna responded with a moan and held onto Elsa's shoulders tightly. The blonde began to deepen the kiss by gently pushing her tongue into Anna's mouth, causing the redhead to moan even louder as she tentatively reciprocated the action. Becoming more aroused at the feeling of Anna's soft tongue in her mouth, Elsa took this opportunity to gently push the redhead onto the bed. Anna pulled Elsa down with her so that the blonde was on top of her.

_She's on top of me. Elsa has her tongue in my mouth and is on top of me. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. _Anna, desperately trying to control her breathing, tugged on Elsa's uniform. "This," she panted, breaking the kiss. "Can it not…be here?" _Oh, very smooth, Anna. _

Elsa smiled and kissed Anna on the forehead before beginning to remove her uniform. In less than a minute, Elsa was completely naked and still on top of Anna, who was nearly hyperventilating at this point.

"Shhh, Anna it's okay," Elsa tried to soothe the redhead by stroking her hair. "It's just me, okay? We can stop at any time."

_Nooo, I don't want to stop. I'm just being a chickenshit and you're really hot._ "I-I'm fine. I'm good, Elsa," Anna stuttered. For the first time, she got a good long look at Elsa's toned and muscular body. "Um..you're really beautiful."

Elsa laughed softly and began unbuttoning Anna's uniform. "May I?" she asked.

"What? Oh, um…yes! Yes, you may." Anna tried not to squirm too much as the blonde worked to remove her clothing. Once the uniform was off, Elsa tossed the clothes aside and repositioned herself so that she was straddling Anna's leg. She moved over Anna and began kissing her again as she pushed her thigh into Anna's center, causing the redhead to cry out.

"Ah! Ah-Elsa," Anna gasped.

"Does that feel okay?" the blonde murmured as she began to run her hands up and down Anna's body.

"Y-yes! V-very okay," Anna moaned as Elsa began kissing her neck, lightly biting down in some places. Anna's breath hitched as she felt heat and desire swelling throughout her body. It was like a dream. _No, _much_ better than any fucking dream._

She stiffened as she felt Elsa's hand moving downwards. The blonde turned her gaze to Anna's pale, freckled breasts and softly placed her lips over one of them, letting her tongue run over the tip firmly. Anna struggled to keep quiet and wrapped her arms around Elsa, letting her nails rake softly down the blonde's back.

Elsa's fingers lightly grazed Anna's center. The redhead gasped and gripped onto Elsa's back. With every stroke she could feel her core building up heat and intensity. Elsa lifted her head, releasing Anna's breast, and caught the redhead's gaze. "Anna…"

"Yes," Anna breathed. "Please, Elsa, I want this."

Elsa nodded and stroked a few more times before she moved her hand even lower and positioned it near Anna's entrance. She began to push one finger in gently and slowly, her eyes never leaving Anna's. The redhead's breathing quickened as she held onto Elsa tightly.

"Elsa," she whispered.

Elsa slowly removed her finger and leaned in to kiss Anna deeply. She pushed two fingers deep inside Anna. The redhead immediately stiffened and cried out into Elsa's mouth. Elsa moved her tongue inside Anna's mouth as she began thrusting her fingers slowly, her hand quickly becoming slick with Anna's desire. She moved her mouth to Anna's shoulder and began biting down softly.

Anna was moaning loudly now, crying out when Elsa would hit a certain spot or curl her fingers inside her. "E-Elsa…please…."

"Are you close?" Elsa whispered as she quickened her pace and put more force into the thrusts.

"Y-y-yes, I-please, Elsa!" Anna gasped, sinking her nails into the blonde's back. Elsa felt a slight pinch but didn't mind, though she knew there would be marks in the morning.

Elsa gave a series of powerful thrusts and Anna felt the pressure that had been building up in her core release suddenly. She arched her back and screamed Elsa's name as she clung to her. Elsa watched in wonder as Anna's face twisted in intense emotion before she finally calmed down, panting heavily. The blonde slowly pulled her fingers out, resulting in a low groan from Anna.

"Was that…okay?" Elsa asked quietly as she moved next to the redhead.

Anna grabbed Elsa by the back of her hair and kissed her roughly. "That was amazing," she said. "I…yeah. That was amazing, Elsa. Thank you." She kissed the blonde on the nose. "Though, fuck, am I sore."

Elsa's smiled faded as concern replaced her bliss. "Oh no…are you okay? Did I hur-,"

"Shhh," Anna stopped her with another kiss. "I'm fine." _Better than fine. _"Though um…I'm pretty sure I was kinda loud."

Elsa chuckled as she stroked Anna's hair, which was slightly damp with sweat. "Well, yes I would have to agree with you there. Hopefully no one asks about it tomorrow."

"If they do I'll punch them in the face," Anna stated.

"I don't think that would be very helpful for the mission," Elsa reminded her.

Anna grinned sheepishly. "Oh yeah. Well, I guess I'll just tell them to mind their own business then. Now," she said, her tone switching from tired to playful. "I do believe it's your turn." She began running her hand down Elsa's body, lightly touching the blonde's breasts and making Elsa shiver.

"I'm…up for that," Elsa said and pulled the redhead closer for a kiss.


End file.
